Downtime

Key events that shaped our social, political and cultural history By Arfa Shahid December 16, 1971: Bangladesh Celebrates Victory Day After the British rule ended in the Indian subcontinent in 1947, East Pakistan was declared as part of West Pakistan’s territory, despite the fact that the two regions were separated by more than 1,000 miles of

Historians battle to save the remnants of Kurdish culture BY Tanya Goudsouzian and Lara Fatah When Mazhar Khaleghi was arrested by Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in 1980, he says his only crime was being himself. A sitar player and singer of Kurdish folk songs, Khaleghi was something of a pop star among Kurds. He was

Key events that shaped our social, political and cultural history By Arfa Shahid December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Bombed The Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military attack by the Japanese against a docked U.S. fleet at the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which led to the U.S.’s entry into World

Taliban and Daesh’s bullet marks turned into art pieces By Mishaal Khan We live in a world of constant change, with so much destruction, devastation, and uncertainty around us. At a time when historic buildings, holy sites and ancient monuments are being demolished at the hands of the enemy within, it is important to do

Yes, it’s an emergency! By Arfa Shahid Here’s the thing about menstruation—it hurts. Period cramps are uncomfortable for women in general, but for those diagnosed with dysmenorrhea, the pain is debilitating and cramps leave you doubled over, unable to move. For many, it directly impacts their everyday activity. Dysmenorrhea is often accompanied by menorrhagia—extremely heavy

The remarkable story of Aamir Hussain Lone By Tahir Ibn Manzoor It is a story that has gone viral across social media outlets and captured the hearts of people all over the world. Aamir Hussain Lone, captain of Kashmir’s para-cricket team, is a true manifestation of the strength of human spirit, overcoming his own physical disability to

The SFX talents behind The Matrix, 300, Game of Thrones and more By Joseph Fahim When special effects (SFX) make-up maestros Chadi Abdo and Dan Frye, whose works include renowned blockbuster movies and series such as The Matrix, 300 and Game of Thrones attended Maskoon, the Arab World’s first film festival for horror, sci-fi and fantasy

Key events that shaped our social, political and cultural history By Arfa Shahid December 3, 1912: First Balkan War Ends The Balkan League, a military coalition between Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro, signed an armistice agreement with the Ottoman Empire on this day in history, with Greece refusing to sign the truce agreement despite being

The strange (and burgeoning) market of novelty urns By Joe Veix Rest assured that when you inevitably meet your demise, there will be plenty of ways to store your corpse: coffins, ornate urns and—if you’re extra-wealthy—enormous booby-trapped pyramids. And now, custom 3-D-printed heads. An Arlington, Vermont–based company called Cremation Solutions offers, among a number of more